Subsidies, digital and Indo-Pacific, but also Ukraine and Mercosur. These currently are the bread-and-butter trade issues in Brussels – and developments this week were very representative. Von der Leyen announces duty suspension extension for Ukraine European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday (2 February) an extension to …
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Perspectives: Adjusting to a new world of trade rules
Complexity and ambiguity are the new reality of global trade policy.
THINK TANK: The weaponisation of trade
Foreign policy think tanks, usually absent from the trade policy conversations, are now busy working with trade. Weaponisation of trade, export controls, and European tech sovereignty are the themes addressed by two Berlin-based think tanks in recent days: the European Council on Foreign Relations and the German Council on Foreign …
Week Ahead: Singapore digital agreement, GSP trilogue, Argentina, Ukraine, WTO talks
Preview of the week by Rob Francis and Chris Horseman. Singapore digital partnership to be unveiled On Wednesday (1 February) EU commissioner for the internal market Thierry Breton and Singapore trade minister S. Iswaran will sign the Singapore Digital Partnership in Brussels. The parties had announced that the partnership had …
Week in Brussels: Latin American FTAs, trilogue troubles, Brit subsidy and cyber worries
It’s been a dense and intense week in EU trade. Here a few snippets. By Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer. Sweden wants those FTAs – but there’s trouble ahead on the Latin American front Sweden’s trade minister Johan Forssell confirmed on Tuesday (24 January) that the Swedish presidency of the …
THINK TANK: Trade policy’s paradigm shift sidelines WTO
War, a pandemic and the impending climate crisis have greatly impacted the global trade regime. ‘Multipurpose trade policy’ is the new game in town and the tight grip that international trade law once had over the international trading order is loosening. This paradigm shift is not without its challenges. These …
Comment: Hong Kong vs US – small is beautiful in the WTO
A World Trade Organization panel recently ruled in favour of Hong Kong in a dispute with the US regarding a requirement that imported goods should be marked as being of ‘China’ origin rather than ‘Hong Kong’ as hitherto. The panel upheld the rights of a small economy against the most …
Week Ahead: European Parliament, Thailand, WTO disputes
A dense cold week ahead in trade policy in Europe. By Rob Francis, Chris Horseman and Iana Dreyer.
Week in Brussels: Business on due diligence, EU reopens Cambodia rice case
While everyone was away in Davos this week, business tried to seize the momentum on the coming EU sustainability corporate due diligence regulation and the European Commission acted to avoid having to repay Cambodian exporters duties paid as part a safeguard that was slapped down by the ECJ. By Rob …
Perspectives: Northern Ireland – What’s needed to get a deal over the line
The EU and the UK are investing strongly in finding an arrangement to address some British concerns over the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated in the 2019 Brexit agreement. As things stand, reaching a deal will be very difficult. Succeeding however would draw a big prize for the UK’s diplomatic relationships …